NHL clubs Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks both had a role in Tyson Strachan’s ice hockey journey from Phoenix to South Wales.
Tough guy Strachan, who has 186 NHL matches for St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild, has signed for Cardiff Devils and makes his debut this weekend.
Devils play title rivals Sheffield Steelers away on Saturday and Nottingham Panthers at home the following evening (6pm). There are less than 300 tickets left for Sunday’s clash.
Former Devils forward Ryan Russell and Cardiff club owner Steve King also played their part in 6ft 3ins defenceman Strachan opting to play in Britain’s Elite League.
The story starts when ex-NHL player Russell scored 18 points in 17 matches for Devils in 2015-16, but opted to take up a scouting role with San Jose.
Doug Wilson, a former Chicago Blackhawks and Sharks D-man, is San Jose’s general manager and a friend of King.
“He was the guy who stole Russell from us,” says King. “Every time we met I would tell Doug ‘You owe me!’
“When Devils were playing in the Champions League was really impressed with our victories against HC Davos and Vaxjo Lakers. He also liked the way we competed against some of the best teams in Europe and around the World.
“Arizona Coyotes wanted Tyson to be a leader on their team and he was there fora professional try-out. But then he was called into the office in Phoenix and told they were going with a couple of younger guys who had done well.
“They didn’t have a spot for him, but Doug told him the whole story and about our club in Wales. He recommended that Cardiff Devils would be a good place to play.
“I looked Tyson up on Elite Prospects and spotted that he played junior hockey for Vernon Vipers alongside our coeval, Andrew Lord.
“I called up Todd Kelman, he chatted with Lordo and they were really interested. You couldn’t sign a guy of this calibre in August because there are so many options.
“The timing was right and Tyson is is the perfect fit for Devils.”
Strachan is heading for a face-to-face debut with Sheffield’s new forward Andre Deveaux, a 6ft 3ins forward who made more than 30 NHL appearances for Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers.
Deveaux, who also played 574 games in the American League, sitting for a massive 1,605 minutes, is set to play his first game against Devils on Saturday.
The Bahamas-born powerhouse is described by Sheffield coach Paul Thompson as ‘tough and rugged’.
“He has a bite and an edge that I wanted to add to our roster,” said Thompson. “He also has a scoring touch.
“Andre brings bags of experience playing in the top leagues of the World – NHL, KHL and AHL.
“He hasn’t has a pre-season or played a lot of hockey lately so we will have to get him back into the swing of things, but he is a powerful addition to our line.”
Tickets for Cardiff v Panthers on Sunday and Mark Richardson’s testimonial next Tuesday are on sale through the Devils online booking system via the club’s official website, call 0800 0842 666 or book in person at Ice Arena Wales reception.